A look back at April 2013

When two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15 leaving three killed, 1998 Sparta High School graduate Michael Gross was among the more than 130 people injured.

Gross was standing at the finish line along with his wife, Nicole, and sister-in-law, Erika Brannock, awaiting Gross’ mother-in-law Carol Downing, who was running in the race.

Nicole Gross, 31, whose stunned image following the blast is among the most widely-distributed photos of the attacks, sustained compound fractures of both legs and a severed Achilles tendon, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Erika Brannock, 29, a preschool teacher, lost her left leg below the knee, sustained a compound fracture in her right leg and several broken bones in her right foot, the newspaper reported.

Michael Gross sustained burns but no broken bones. Gross and his wife live in Charlotte, N.C., and Brannock lives in Maryland.

Michael Gross was a star swimmer at Sparta High School. In addition to receiving national honors, he was a two-time New Jersey state champion and, until recently, the record holder in the 100-meter backstroke.

Former Franklin mayor voices Walgreens opposition

FRANKLIN — Former Mayor Richard Durina testified in opposition to a proposed Walgreens drug store in April at the fifth public hearing on the application.

Durina, under questioning from attorney John McDermott — hired to represent objectors to the proposed 24-hour store — said the project would worsen traffic, create a safety hazard and undermine the residential quality of his neighborhood.

The Walgreens plan, which involves the sale of a house at 30 Auche Drive and a neighboring Gulf station on Route 23, has drawn much objection from nearby residents and prompted the formation of a group, Save Our Neighborhood.

In February, the zoning board eliminated one of the primary objections by unanimously voting not to allow an Auche Drive entrance to and from the drug store.

Walgreens proposed a 14,500-square-foot store on land totaling 1.59 acres.

Supporters of building a Walgreens, including Mayor Paul Crowley said it will generate additional revenues to the borough and offer a convenience to residents via the around-the-clock access.

While the 24-hour Walgreens was approved in early May by the Zoning Board, a drive-through was not, and the developer filed a lawsuit against the board in August.

Byram unhappy with DOT, Route 206 work

Though the traffic shift on Route 206 would seem to indicate progress on the lengthy highway project, tension continues between the Department of Transportation and local stakeholders.

The DOT announced April 25 that project contractor Tilcon Inc. would shift Route 206 traffic to the northbound side of the highway, using the existing shoulder as a travel lane. The shift enabled work to be done on the southbound side of the highway without causing significant delays.

But Mayor Jim Oscovitch said the lane switch was made a day earlier than scheduled and without notification to the township.

Additionally, both Oscovitch and Township Manager Joe Sabatini said the culverts that were originally scheduled to be in place in March then scheduled to be in by April 22 still hadn’t arrived.

The DOT announced the installation of the culverts is scheduled to begin at the end of April with the installation taking about five weeks, a time line that would seem to jeopardize the projected August finish date, a month later than a July 14 completion date announced earlier in the year.

Construction on the Route 206 project is still not complete.

Frankford board rejects Montague school link proposal

FRANKFORD — After months of deliberation, the Frankford Board of Education voted 7-1 not to pursue formal talks on establishing a send-receive relationship with the Montague School District. The vote follows the collapse of talks between the Montague and Lafayette school districts last year and effectively ends any possibility of Frankford serving as a new home for Montague children in grades seven and eight. The Montague School serves grades K-6, with its older students attending Port Jervis schools.

Montague has since agreed to send its high school students to High Point Regional High School through a send-receive relationship, with plans for a building referendum to keep seventh-and-eighth-grade students in the township.

The referendum will be Jan. 28.

Vernon seeks to dismiss sewer-fee lawsuit

VERNON — A court hearing was held in Morristown on the township’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit, filed by a Great Gorge Village resident, over sewer fee increases.

Great Gorge resident Len Coloccia filed the lawsui, which he described as a class action lawsuit started by 48 owners and renters on behalf of the entire village, against Vernon Township and the Municipal Utilities Authority.

The lawsuit alleges that the township created the MUA in May 2011 to solve a township debt problem.

In October,, a Superior Court judge threw out nine out of 10 charges in the lawsuit, keeping the charge that Vernon Township and the MUA are “imposing unfair, excessive, and irregular rates on the residents of Great Gorge Village.”

Pegg murder suspects enter pleas

NEWTON — The two men accused of stabbing a Stillwater man to death in his home in June 2012, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing at the Sussex County Courthouse in April.

Clark Fredericks, of Stillwater, and Robert Reynolds, of Mansfield, are accused of going to Dennis Pegg’s Millbrook Road home on June 12, 2012 and stabbing him more than 20 times. The family of Fredericks has accused Pegg of sexually abusing Fredericks as a child.

The two men, who were indicted separately, are charged with first-degree murder, as well as conspiracy to commit murder, burglary, leaving an injured victim and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.

Reynolds posted his $350,000 bail in September and the case is ongoing.

Plans for Super Walmart in Franklin dropped

FRANKLIN — Walmart in April walked away from a proposal, dating to 2008, to build a Super Walmart that would nearly double the size of its existing store.

Borough Administrator James Kilduff said he was notified, in a phone call from a Walmart attorney, that the company had decided not to proceed.

The company had planned to close the store upon opening the larger, big-box store about a mile to the south.

Primarily to entice Walmart, which received final approvals in late 2011, the borough last year approved a redevelopment zone headlined by the proposed 44-acre, currently vacant site.

The redevelopment zone, among other benefits, would enable the borough to offer tax abatements to businesses.

Vernon to pay legal fees in privacy case

VERNON – In March, Vernon filed a lawsuit against five individuals, who received from the township an email attachment that listed employee Social Security numbers, as well as The New Jersey Herald, which published a story about the incident.

The lawsuit, filed by Kevin Kelly in state Superior Court in Newton, is seeking financial compensation, as well as stopping the individuals — Sally Rinker, Jesse Wolosky, Curious George (anonymous name), Lynn Van Gorder and Sandra Ooms — from disseminating the confidential information.

The lawsuit stemmed from an incident reported in the New Jersey Herald about these individuals who made Open Public Records Act requests to the township for payroll information. Municipal Clerk Sue Nelson responded by sending an attachment that she believed redacted the Social Security numbers and other personal information, but those hidden columns in the document were still visible.

However, Judge Edward Gannon wrote in a statement of reason that “no irreparable harm is shown,” and therefore, a temporary restraint that would have forced the individuals and newspaper to immediately delete the documents was not necessary. Gannon also said that there is no reason to restrict the newspaper under these circumstances.

The judge ordered Vernon to pay the legal fees incurred by the individuals, which totaled $21,384. Vernon successfully challenged the bill, which was then reduced to $9,639.

Also this month

Sparta native wins Grammy for opera performance

Sparta native and Pope John XXIII Regional High School graduate Jonathan Scott won a Grammy at the 55th annual award show for Best Opera Recording, along with the entire cast of the Metropolitan Opera’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” which translates from German as “The Ring of the Nibelung.”

Byram man accused of plot to kidnap and torture women

Richard Meltz — a former Byram councilman who previously served as a Sussex County undersheriff — claimed to have kidnapped and murdered women in the past, according to an FBI tap of his phone, but his attorney said this was all just part of Meltz’s fantasy world.

Authorities said in court papers that Meltz, 65, of Ross Road in Byram and Nashua, N.H., and Robert Christopher Asch, 60, of Manhattan, conspired since the spring of 2011 to attack multiple victims. Meltz and Asch were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced April 15.

The trial is set to begin Jan. 27 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Franklin Viaduct construction accelerates

FRANKLIN — With the old Franklin Viaduct gone, crews moved into construction of the new bridge in April while the first two spans of steel sat in a steel fabrication yard, ready to be shipped.

Titacco Construction of Belleville is general contractor for the $8.1 million project, which had a completion date of Dec. 31.

The dedication and opening of the new Viaduct will be held

Dec. 30. The structure will be dedicated to retired Sen. Robert Littell.